Iran must do more to protect its lawyers, advocacy groups and international organizations said Wednesday, as they marked the International Day of the Endangered Lawyer.
Each year on Jan. 24, the international legal community honors lawyers around the world who work to advance human rights and the rule of law, even when doing so entails grave risk.
This year, the occasion was dedicated to Iran, where some 66 lawyers have been arrested or detained since September 2022, according to the International Observatory of Lawyers. The advocacy group noted that lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was sentenced to 38 years in prison for defending human rights, and upwards of 537 Iranians were killed by security forces during demonstrations in the country.
In a statement, a panel of UN experts said: “Lawyers in Iran have, again and again, risen to the challenge and have suffered the consequences. … These brave women and men have been targeted with intimidation and harassment, including arbitrary arrest and disbarment for seeking to ensure those arrested and charged were able to access their right to a legal defense.”
The American Bar Association echoed these sentiments, adding: “Without the protection provided by an independent Bar Association, they are extremely vulnerable to various attacks and to restrictions on their ability to exercise their profession, especially from State authorities.”
The ABA statement noted that Iran is far from alone in the engagement of members of the legal profession. “Globally, lawyers face harassment, arrest and even physical harm in their quest to advance the rule of law,” the organization said, noting that the US has seen a recent surge in violence or threats thereof against lawyers, judges, and other legal professionals.
